1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention is related to lighted airport runway guidance signs.
2. Background of the Related Art
Airport taxiway and runway guidance signs are an important aspect of total airport operation and safety. With the large increase in consumer domestic and foreign air travel, such signage becomes an even more important aspect for safety on the runways and taxiways as airport congestion increases. The signs need to be readily visible by a pilot or maintenance worker, and lighted sufficiently to be understood at any time of the day or night, and from any angle.
Many conventional guidance signs use a light source that is internal to or on the periphery of the guidance sign such that a message or instruction included on one or more translucent side panels is back-lighted using the light source. These types of signs suffer from a flaw wherein the lighting used therein fails to provide uniform dispersion of the light throughout the interior of the sign case. Thus there are dark regions that affect the readability of the message or instruction presented on the sign.
Additionally, such conventional systems utilize components that require routine maintenance or replacement, for example, the lamps. However, such systems are not designed to be cost effective in that replacement/maintenance requires the technician to perform partial or complete disassembly of the sign case in order to perform the maintenance.
Furthermore, maintenance of such conventional systems can be improved upon by eliminating the need for the technician to make frequent visual inspections to ensure that the light sources are operational. Such improvements can include providing onboard electronics that automatically swaps in a working light source when another fails, and in more robust systems, sends a signal that alerts the technician to the component failure so that maintenance can be performed on a more efficient and cost effective basis.
What is needed is airport guidance signage that provides a uniformly lighted interior, reduces maintenance costs by providing easy access to make replacements or repairs, and can include onboard electronics for sensing component failure, performing replacement action, and providing notification means.